Station Announcement

"Tuned to Yesterday" is sending out 2014 with a bang with a New Year’s Eve special! This Wednesday night at 10 enjoy an hour of moments from some of your favorite old time radio shows to hear how they celebrated another year gone by.

President Barack Obama will hold a press conference Friday in the White House briefing room. It will be his final press conference of 2014, before leaving Washington for the holidays. The president is expected to answer questions on a range of topics, including U.S. relations with Cuba, the recent Sony Corporation hacking story and more.

What would 2014 have been like without Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Diane Rehm, or all your other favorites on WRVO?

You did a lot of listening this past year, and we appreciate it. As you consider your end-of-year charitable giving, please keep WRVO Public Media in your plans. Your tax-deductible gift will help ensure the news and entertainment you depend on will be there for you in 2015. You can make your financial contribution here.

We kick off the holiday season with collection of holiday stories of all kinds: funny, touching, insightful and surprising. Baxter Black ponders Christmas for cows; Bailey White sneaks into her neighbor's yard in search of an elusive hemlock tree; O. Henry's Gift of the Magi; and a different take on How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Hosted by NPR's Lynn Neary.

A mix of holiday stories, found-sound, and sampled songs: A bell-ringer at the Mall of America. Holiday history as told by second graders. A trip to the toy store. Carols sung by Zulu children in a South African orphanage. And holiday bits from Bing Crosby, George W. Bush, and The Beatles Fan Club Christmas messages. Hosted by Barrett Golding.

A perennial favorite with brand new Hanukkah stories written by acclaimed authors Debra Ginsberg, Anne Burt, Simone Zelitch, Andrew Borowitz, and Theodore Bikel. Hear a wide variety of stories perfect for the holiday --- one story is funny and crisp, another historical, and there's one with a multicultural theme. Also included is a story about the supernatural and one that ends with the best last line for any Hanukkah show, "Love is the only miracle." Hosted by Susan Stamberg and Murray Horwitz.

An updated version of a public radio tradition hosted by NPR's Susan Stamberg. Master comedian Jonathan Winters presents a distinctive reading of Dickens' holiday classic, with a special performing edition prepared by Dickens for his own presentations. Also featuring Mimi Kennedy.

The perfect New Year's mixtape, complete with rarities, standards, surprises, blatant nostalgia, sincere resolutions, unashamed hope, and serious parties! From the Great Depression to the Great Recession, New Year's music from all genres for all tastes.

President Barack Obama is scheduled to address the nation tonight at 8 p.m. from the White House. He will unveil executive actions on immigration.

WRVO and NPR will provide live anchored special coverage with Melissa Block, including the president's speech and analysis, starting at 8 p.m. Block will be joined in studio by Mara Liasson, political correspondent; Tamara Keith, White House correspondent; Ron Elving, senior Washington editor; and Juana Summers, congressional reporter. John Burnett, national correspondent, will join in from Texas.

Thought you heard something just a little different on WRVO? Good for you…that means you’re paying attention. NPR has made some minor changes to some of its programs – most notably Morning Edition and All Things Considered – which require us to make a few adjustments of our own. You may hear a newscast where you didn’t hear one before, or a feature you’re used to hearing at a certain time may be heard a little earlier or later.

In 2006, the original 4.5 million doughboys of World War One had shrunk to a mere handful of veterans, aged 105 to 113. The World War I Living History Project was the only media project to recognize the legacy and contributions of this passing generation of soldiers. Producers traveled the country, interviewing the last 10 soldiers of the "war to end all wars."

Tom Magliozzi who, along with his brother Ray, hosted NPR’s hit comedy show Car Talk for the last 37 years, died Monday morning, November 3, 2014, from complications of Alzheimer’s Disease. “Turns out he wasn’t kidding,” said Ray. “He really couldn’t remember last week’s puzzler.”

Because of our generous listeners, we were able to raise more than $170,000 during our eight-day on-air fall fundraiser. Many of you made your donations through the mail before the start of the on-air drive, adding an additional $90,000+ to the total. Thank you.

The drive got off to a good start the first Thursday, when we tried to raise an entire day's worth of money in just one hour of Morning Edition. We underestimated the response, and were able to raise just over $24,000 in only 60 minutes! Thanks for helping us bring you more programming with less on-air fundraising.

As a true Equal Opportunity Employer, Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me! is hiring. They're looking for qualified candidates with many years of experience in public radio, a good attitude, teamwork skills and all required rabies vaccinations.

It's called S.W.A.G. -- as in stuff we all get, but only if you donate to WRVO Public Media during the fall fundaiser. Here's a look at some of the premiums we're offering this year. You can select each premium on our online web form, or let our volunteers know that you're interested on the phone when you call (800) 341-3690.

The New WRVO Baseball Cap

For a contribution of $150, we can thank you by sending one of our brand new WRVO Public Media hats.

Thank you to everyone who made today a success. WRVO started a special challenge this morning, to raise $15,000 (an entire day's worth of donations) in just one hour -- and we exceeded that goal! That means that we'll be fundraiser free for the rest of the day.

Our final tally for this morning is about $24,000 and we couldn't have done it without our listeners. Whether you're a brand new member, a renewing friend or a long-time contributor, we appreciate your contribution.

WRVO will try to make that happen tomorrow at 7 a.m., when we try to raise an entire day's worth of money in just one hour. By 8 a.m. we'll be done, and you'll have the rest of the day fundraising-free.

This week, we bring you Breaking Ground: Military Children. During more than a decade of war, tens of thousands of military children have watched and waited as a parent was deployed to conflict zones overseas.

Now, with the Department of Defense confronting budget cuts, these children face an uncertain future. What will they do if the military chooses to shut down their schools? Will they have the support they need as their parents reintegrate into civilian life? What can we learn from these children, and what duty do we as a society owe them?

A successful public radio fundraiser depends on the help of staff, community members, listeners, volunteers and donors; and making a donation isn't the only way to support us. A donation of your time is just as important.

We're looking for phone bank volunteers during our fall fundraiser. It starts on Thursday, October 16 and ends on the following Thursday, October 23. Shifts vary in length, but most are around two hours. Can't make it for two hours? No problem. Any amount of time helps us meet our goal.

There are a few changes coming to your mornings on WRVO. The Marketplace Morning Report, regularly heard Monday through Friday at 5:51 a.m. and 6:51 a.m., will move starting on Monday, September 22. It will now be heard at 6:51 a.m. and 8:51 a.m.

This change is part of a partnership between Morning Edition and Marketplace, allowing for the best possible coverage of business and economics news. MMR will take the place of NPR's business news segment (now heard at 7:51 a.m. and 9:51 a.m.).

This August, Public Radio Presents brings you the spring series of State of the Re:Union with host Al Letson. Every episode is like a love letter to the country -- telling the story of America, one community at a time.

Intelligence Squared U.S. (IQ2US) brings Oxford-style debating to America -- one motion, one moderator, two informed and provocative panelists for the motion, and two against. John Donvan of ABC News 'Nightline' is the moderator. The debate series takes on timely hot-button issues to inform, enlighten and entertain.

This Sunday, June 22 at 7 p.m. -- Does affirmative action do more harm than good?

Each spring, news departments across the state are honored for the work they've done in the past year. This year, WRVO entered news stories in several awards competitions across the state and country. The lists that follow indicates which awards the WRVO News team and supporting staff took home for work completed during 2013.

We would like to thank all of our reporters, past and present, for their hard work and continued success.